


Snowy Owls — Nightmares and Feathers

by Darka3363



Series: Daybirds [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Canon What Canon, First Meetings, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, No beta we die like younglings, Not that Obi-Wan is gonna be any better, Pre-Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Quinlan doesn't know it yet but he shows signs that he will have a huge crush on Obi-Wan later on, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28480050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darka3363/pseuds/Darka3363
Summary: Quinlan Vos is a traumatized four year old when he meets Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Relationships: Bant Eerin & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Quinlan Vos
Series: Daybirds [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2058186
Comments: 11
Kudos: 124





	Snowy Owls — Nightmares and Feathers

**Author's Note:**

> Written in between writings of the full-fledged prequel to _Blue Herons_ , because this whole series has overtaken my mind.
> 
> It is set after Quinlan is transported from Kiffu to Jedi Temple after his great aunt bloodly overtaken the planet and usurped the sheyf position.
> 
> BTW, canon? We don't know that bitch here.
> 
> Also, I am _painfully_ aware that's not how the real four year olds are talking, but you know. A writer's priviledge is to make things up, and also to bend the reality, so might as well do it in this case too. Besides, in SW canon they make a fourteen year olds a planet leaders, so you know, fuck it.

Quinlan is four years old when he loses his parents, sees their brutal murder after being tricked by his great aunt to touch the trinket with his abilities in psychometry, and is taken to the Jedi's crèche by Master Tholme.

And ever since then, almost every single night he has screaming nightmares, from which it seems only Tholme can calm him down, and Quinlan is getting pretty tired of it.

His dad always said he is a strong boy, and strong boys don't have nightmares and don't cry, right? And he wants to be a strong boy for his dad and mom, even if they aren't there with him anymore.

And yet, he just can't help himself but sob in his bed after another nightmare Quinlan wakes up from, but now he tries to, well, if not have nightmares, then at the very least calm himself down all by himself without Tholme's help. The man looked like he really needs some sleep, and because Quinlan almost every night has night terrors, the undisturbed sleep to the Master comes rarer and rarer to him, and he looks really worried for Quinlan.

And the boy doesn't want that. He doesn't want Tholme to worry, because he's talking with that nice lady about a lot of things that he thinks are supposed to help him deal with what happened, but so far Quinlan doesn't see any progress, especially seeing as he still had night terrors.

But this is the first time the boy was able to wake up without screaming. This _has_ to count for something, right? If he can do it more often, then maybe—

This train of thought was stopped by a soft knocking to the door.

"Uh, come in?"

The door opens and in them stands a boy.

"Hello there," the boy says quietly, "sorry if I'm interrupting, but I felt you wake up again, and haven't heard anything, so I began to worry," he comes inside, while Quinlan lights up his lightbulb on the nightstand.

The boy is small, Quinlan notes, but almost as big as him, so he's probably in Quinlan's age, and he has the prettiest red hair he has ever seen.

"Uh, right. But shouldn't you be asleep, like the rest? Especially seeing as this time I haven't screamed?" Quinlan responds a little bitterly but more than confused.

"Oh, I barely even sleep most nights. You see," the boy says, as if it was a big secret, "I have night terrors too."

Quinlan blinks.

"Oh."

"Yeah. I have learnt by now how not to scream when I wake up from them, and I see you're learning how to do it too. It might help you make some friends here too, because some are mean when you are interrupting their sleep almost nightly."

"Uh, right. But, who are you?"

"Oh! I'm so sorry, where are my manners? I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi, nice to meet you."

"Quinlan Vos. Nice to meet you too."

Obi-Wan smiles broadly, showing off his missing tooth, and wow, even his smile is pretty, thinks Quinlan.

"So, you have nightmares too?"

"Uhuh. Some Masters say they might be visions from the future when I told them what they're about, but I just hope it's just simple nightmares. You know, I read once that nightmares are a way for the mind to deal with tra-u-mas, which are the bad things that happened to you at some point."

"Why do you know that?"

"Learning helps me not to be afraid as much about so many things. If I understand what's going on, then it's easier to make myself calm down. Maybe you should try it too. Or you can try to tire yourself out every day, it also helps to keep the nightmares at bay, at least a little. And like, don't make yourself go to sleep by force, because that also doesn't help at all."

"For how long do you have nightmares that you have so many ways to deal with them?"

"I've always had them."

" _Always_?"

"Uhuh, I think I had them even before I was taken from Stewjon, but I can't remember it now. And you? From where're you?"

"I lived on Kiffu until two weeks ago."

"You're here for two weeks? And the Masters didn't introduce you to us?"

"It might be because I've locked myself in this room and don't really wanna leave it."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I just, I don't feel too well now."

"Right, nightmares."

"Uhuh."

They sit in the small bed in silence for a few seconds.

"Wanna play Push-Pull? I don't think either of us is going to sleep right now, so might as well get in some exercise."

"I think Master Tholme showed me how to do it. Is it the one where you use the Force to catch a feather?"

"A feather, a ball, anything you want. Bant and Lumi are really good at it, and can make a very pretty sky when they have some colorful paper and glitter. Maybe one day you'll get to see it too."

"I'd like to."

"So, you wanna play?"

Quinlan smiles for the first time since he was brought here.

"Sure."

~*~

When the crèchemaster Verden wakes up, he immediately notices it is not, as it became a recent habit, one o'clock in the morning with either Quinlan Vos or Obi-Wan Kenobi's screams as an alarm clock in the background, but instead it is six in the morning, and he woke up by himself.

He quickly dresses up and goes in to check on Quinlan first. Obi-Wan hadn't had nightmares for some time now, it seems, so he can check on him later.

He finds, to his surprise, both boys sleeping in one bed, Quinlan laying on Obi-Wan, who was softly snoring, surrounded by feathers and balls.

Verden just smiles, and lets the boys sleep. They both need it.

A few years later, crèchemaster Verden regrets his choices, when both Quinlan and Obi-Wan refuse to sleep by themselves in their own rooms if the other is in the Temple.

~*~

"Obi-Wan? Obi-Wan?" Whispers Quinlan, shaking the boy's shoulder lightly the next night.

"Uhuh…? Quin?"

"Yeah. Um. Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Obi-Wan sits up slowly on his bed, still a little sluggish from sleep, and yawns loudly. He looks into the brown eyes, and his answer is immediate:

"Yeah sure. Come in."

Kenobi makes room for Quinlan, who immediately ducks under the soft blanket.

"Thank you, Obi," Kiffar says, hugging Obi-Wan and snuggling into the boy's chest.

"No problem."

~*~

"Aaaaah! Who are you?!"

Quinlan and Obi-Wan wake up at the scream, the little Vos almost jumps out of his skin.

"Bant! Calm down, will you?! You're scaring him!" Screams Obi-Wan back, holding Kiffar closer to himself.

"There's a strange boy in your bed that no one knows and you tell me to _calm down_?!"

"Uh, he's not a stranger. This is Quinlan."

"Oh really, because that explains everything."

Quinlan wants really badly to hide under the blanket, or better yet, spirit away from the room, but Obi-Wan's hands around him won't let Kiffar do it.

"Listen, just because you don't know him doesn't mean he's strange, okay?"

"How long do you know him, then?"

"Uh, since yesterday."

"Obi-Wan," hisses Bant, "you—"

She was interrupted by crèchemaster Verden.

"What is going on?"

"Master! There's someone in Obi-Wan's bed!"

"Uh, that would be Obi-Wan, dearie," Quinlan is pretty sure Master is only teasing, like his mom sometimes did when she wanted to annoy his dad with obliviousness.

"No! I mean the other one!"

"That's Quinlan, Bant. Which reminds me, I'm glad you're making friends here, little one," says Verden, patting Kiffar's head, "Bant, sweetheart, I know you worry about Obi-Wan, but you shouldn't scream at him every time you see he does something without your knowledge."

"But—!"

"Bant."

Little Mon Calamari hangs her head.

"Alright. I'm sorry I screamed at you, Obi-Wan, Quinlan."

"Next time just scream when you have context, alright?" Says Obi-Wan.

"Alright. Um. What is context?"

"Uh, it is a situation when something happens. Um. It's like saying 'I'm happy for you', and it is a good sentence right, but it has a different meaning when you say it at the funeral, and when you hear someone passed a test. In the context of the first it is really inappropriate, and in the context of the second one it is an okay thing to tell someone."

"Oooh. You should really stop using big words, Obi-Wan, not everyone is dragging a dictionary with them."

"But if there exists a word that describes something so well, then why shouldn't I use it?"

"For the sake of your fellow agemates, Obes."

Crèchemaster Verden giggles under his nose.

"Well, if the situation is resolved, then I'll leave you be. Try not to scream anymore."

"Yes, Master!"

The Master leaves the room, leaving three younglings inside.

"Might as well get up," says Obi-Wan, "seeing I am already awake and it's… four o'clock? Bant!"

"What? I haven't heard you in the middle of the night for ages now, I wanted to see if you're okay."

"I, um. I just sleep less?"

"Obi-Wan."

"Stop it, Bant, if I can't sleep, I might as well do something productive."

"But not sleeping can't be good for you."

"Well, I was sleeping until someone came in and decided to scream at me for no reason."

"It was not—"

Quinlan feels kinda like a third wheel in there. And a little scared of Bant too. He would really love to just hide himself, but he's basically frozen in shock right now.

The only okay thing in here right now is that Obi-Wan is still holding him close.

And maybe it is not a smart idea to relay on Obi-Wan so much already, when he barely knows him, but Obi-Wan just radiates safety to Quinlan's senses, and he can't just ignore it.

The only other person that feels like that, and is alive, is Master Tholme.

"—right, I'll leave you to sleep then."

"Bye, don't come back."

"You don't have to be mean about it!"

And Bant leaves the room.

Obi-Wan falls gracelessly back on the bed and sighs.

"Sorry for that. Bant can be a real control freak at times, we try to make her unlearn it, but it's… a work in progress."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not," says Obi-Wan firmly. "She shouldn't have screamed at me in your presence at all, without thinking of potential consequences. I saw how scared you were because of that."

"I, I didn't mind the screaming before, on Kiffu it's loud, especially during lightning season, but then—" Quinlan's throat closes, and tears wells in his eyes.

"I understand. I will talk about that with Bant, okay?"

"But you don't even know what happened to make me like… this. Afraid."

"I don't have to," responds Obi-Wan resolutely, "it just scares you, and you don't like this, and so I will make sure to never scream at you, and I'll make Bant not to scream when you're present."

Quinlan looks at Obi-Wan with barely hidden hope and wonder.

"Why do you help me so much?"

Obi-Wan grins.

"Because, if it was me in your place, I would like to have someone to catch me, when I'm falling."

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos are appreciated
> 
> Also, I know that owls aren't birds that are active during the day, but it fits.
> 
> BTW, Obi-Wan might have forgotten about all of this (because he was freaking four), but he _never_ shouts at Quinlan since then, unless it's to call him from across a hall or such, and even then he prefers to just reach with the Force to him, and he actually waits until Quinlan is outside the room if he is gonna scream (maybe just because, or at someone) as if the world was ending.


End file.
